Jul152013

Many companies are born out of a simple solution to a specific problem. For UK manufacturer UNICOL, this solution was a stand to hold a slide projector. Fifty years later, the company is a leading manufacturer and supplier of mounting solutions for a broad range of audio visual equipment. UNICOL creates wall, ceiling, and floor brackets for LCDs and projectors, as well as video walls for large displays.

Mike Butterworth

IT Technician, Mike Butterworth, says that UNICOL relied on Adobe Creative Suite software for years to create the company’s detailed product catalogs and other marketing and sales support materials. Recently, UNICOL made the switch to Adobe Creative Cloud for teams to provide the marketing department with access to a broader toolset, regular software updates, and simplified purchasing and deployment.

Adobe: What were you working with before joining Adobe Creative Cloud for teams and why did you decide to upgrade?

Butterworth: We previously had four licenses of Adobe Creative Suite 4 Design Premium. We were working with an outside designer for a large AV tradeshow in Europe and had some difficulty exchanging files because the designer was using Creative Suite 6 software. We were already working with our system integrator, Softcat, on some server workstation upgrades and decided to add the Adobe Creative Cloud for teams membership to that deal.

Adobe: What cost and deployment benefits have you seen?

Butterworth: We don’t have a large deployment, but Creative Cloud for teams was still easier to deploy than the perpetual software. I just filled in the names, hit invite, and the team was able to start downloading and working with the software. Before making the purchase, we compared the cost to upgrade our CS4 Design Premium license to the cost of Creative Cloud for teams and felt that the cloud offering was more cost effective given the additional software and future licensing costs. We also have a continuous licensing model with Microsoft, so purchasing software in this manner just made sense.

Adobe: What were the main drivers for you to join Creative Cloud for teams?

Butterworth: Access to all of the products in Adobe Creative Suite Master Collection was a key factor. We previously had to pick and choose what suite to purchase and sometimes had to purchase point products if they weren’t included in the suite we chose. In addition to the broad set of Creative Suite tools we can now use through the cloud, we also appreciate having access to new tools and services available only through Creative Cloud, such as Adobe Muse.

Adobe: How important are the regular Creative Cloud updates?

Butterworth: The frequent software updates in Creative Cloud and the ability to gain access to the latest features and enhancements as soon as they are available is very valuable. We no longer have to worry about compatibility issues with our outside designers and can immediately take advantage of new features that can make our processes more efficient.

Adobe: What type of content are you creating and how has it changed since joining Creative Cloud?

Butterworth: A large portion of the work we do is print based catalogs. We also create advertising materials for the trade press and support customers with imagery of parts and products. With Creative Cloud for teams, we’re looking at creating product assembly and demonstration videos with Adobe Premiere Pro, which was previously out of scope of products available to us. Some of our products are static, while others are dynamic and functional, so video demonstrations will be very useful. We’re also looking into Adobe Muse to see if it can be used to create content that installers can easily access on their smartphones when they’re in the field, rather than lugging around print-based installation guides.

Adobe: What feedback have you received from the team using the solution?

Butterworth: The marketing director splits his time between working from the office and working remotely, so he likes being able to access Creative Cloud from more than one location. I also do some photography and web development for the company and can sync my files to the cloud and then use the collaboration features to share the files with our marketing manager. It’s really convenient. It’s been a very smooth transition for us and we look forward to exploring even more Creative Cloud benefits over the next year.